Sources for freelancers to find work U.S. 2020

According to a 2020 survey, about 46 percent of American freelancers who have participated in work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic stated that a previous client is a main source of finding more freelance work. This figure stood at 36 percent for freelancers who paused their freelance work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020

Characteristic	Always freelance*	Paused freelance**
Previous client (freelance)	46%	36%
Friends and family	46%	48%
Social media	42%	38%
Professional contacts	33%	31%
Online ads/classifieds	24%	25%
General freelance websites	22%	17%
Online job boards	22%	20%
Specialized freelance websites	15%	13%
Previous employer (full-time)	14%	18%
Sharing economy websites or apps	12%	12%
Local newspaper	11%	10%
Employment agency/staffing firm	10%	12%

Loading statistic...

Download

Source

Show detailed source information?

Already a member?

Sources

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

September 2020

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

June 15 to July 7, 2020

Number of respondents

6,001 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Special properties

skilled freelancing adults who have done paid work in the past 12 months

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

Respondents were asked to indicate the options that applied to them in response to the question "Where do you typically go to find freelance work?"
*The source defines always freelance as follows: Individuals who have participated in freelance work in the past 12 months and report still doing so after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
**The source defines paused freelance as follows: Individuals who have participated in freelance work in the past 12 months, but have not done freelance work since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citation formats